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Tri Mag Article - Spending for Speed

676 Views 7 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Thor
Just received April issue of Triathlete Mag - The bike porn issue.<br><br>
Interesting article about getting the most bang for the buck when it comes to bike upgrades for speed.<br><br>
Question: The article says that one of the better values when it comes to improved speed is tires. It states that <i>"the right tire can simultaneously improve wheel dynamics and reduce rolling resistance"</i><br>
Is this true if I were to put better tires on my stock wheels?<br><br>
The article presents a cost/benefit analysis of <i>"comparing the typical speed improvements with the the typical upgrade costs associated with each equipment category .. they measured relative performance benefits as a function of cost...Score of 1-100 assigned with 100 representing the best value in terms of time saved per dollar spent. Note that this metric difference from simply measuring the raw performance gains that can result from improved training or equipment upgrades. If price were no object, then bigger-ticket items, such as wheels, helmets, aero frames and components, coaching services, and power meters, would likely lead to the greatest performance gains."<br><br>
Chart included in the article<br>
Product Value Rating<br></i>Clothing 100<br>
Tires 80<br>
Aero Helmet 46<br>
Training tools(HR monitor, coaching 18<br>
power meter, etc.)<br>
Positioning 16<br>
Fork 14<br>
Aerobars 9<br>
Wheels (front and rear) 7<br>
Frame and fork 7<br>
Frame 6<br>
Ceramic bearings 5<br><br>
I'd post the link to the article but it isn't up on their website yet.<br><br><br>
Thoughts on this? Just curious since I don't know a lot about what the best purchase options are for increasing speed especially when there isn't a money tree growing in my backyard. I do understand that training is key.
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I was just talking to a tri friend of mine.. About these studies that are based on a 40km TT, and show you how many seconds you save from different accessories, and how many seconds each $ brings you. For example shoe covers can get 5 seconds, an aero helmet 40 seconds, a carbon cage another 7 seconds... but you know what? For us amateurs, if I just train hard for 3 weeks and catch a good day, that can brings me 5 minutes <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif">
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